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How to Be Human The Manual
Upgrade je brein met Ruby Wax.
Wat krijg je als je een monnik, een neurowetenschapper en comédienne Ruby Wax bij elkaar zet? Dit is niet het begin van een grap maar de basis van een fascinerend, intrigerend en informatief boek over hoe wij als mensen in elkaar steken.
'Het heeft ons vier miljard jaar gekost om te worden wie we zijn, totaal briljant,' aldus Ruby Wax, 'En toch zijn we emotioneel achtergebleven.’ We denken de hele dag door maar veel van onze gedachtes zijn negatief, we voelen ons geïsoleerd terwijl we continu met elkaar in verbinding staan met sociale media en we leven zo snel dat onze genen ons niet bij kunnen benen. Daarom dit boek: 'de enige gids die je nodig hebt om je geest net zo vaak te upgraden als je iPhone.'
Samen met neurowetenschapper Ashish Ranpura en boeddhistische monnik Gelong Thubten onderzoekt Wax ons als soort in de thema's evolutie, gedachtes, emoties, het lichaam, verslavingen, relaties, seks, kinderen en de toekomst. Sommige dingen zijn evolutionair bepaald (en dus niet onze schuld) en andere dingen kunnen we beter leren begrijpen.
Natuurlijk is dit boek doorspekt met de humor van Ruby Wax en staan er mindfulnessoefeningen in, want zoals Ruby zelf zegt: Mindfulness rules.
Ruby Wax is comédienne en bestsellerauteur. Zij schreef eerder de bestsellers Tem je geest en de mindfulnessgids Frazzled en behaalde haar master in Cognitieve gedragstherapie aan de Universiteit van Oxford. Ook gaf ze wereldwijd presentaties over depressie en mindfulness, onder anderen tijdens TEDGlobal, en heeft ze een platform opgezet voor mensen met depressie en andere geestesziektes.
'Ruby Wax zal je laten lachen en laat zien hoe je jezelf kan helen en je leven kan transformeren.' Jon Kabat-Zinn
'Diepgang, kennisoverdracht en humor.' Susan Smit
'Ruby Wax is een geweldige vrouw; slim, grappig en fascinerend.' Hans Teeuwen
'Nuchter en vol humor legt Wax uit waarom we soms gek worden van piekeren en hoe we deze gedachtestroom kunnen temmen.' Marian Mudder
'Een fantastisch boek: leesbaar, inspirerend en intrigerend.' Stephen Fry
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2018
546 people are currently reading
3049 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Wax
34 books306 followersRuby Wax arrived in Britain in 1977 to pursue an acting career. She says "I really could never find my niche. I was a terrible actress, I couldn't sing, I couldn't do characters, I couldn't do an English accent and I lived in England, so I was narrowing it down".
She met French and Saunders at a party and worked alongside them a number of times, on television in Happy Families, at charity events such as Hysteria and notably the sitcom Girls on Top. Ruby played Shelley Dupont, a stereotypically loud American dying for a career in show-business. Not a huge hit, Girls on Top nevertheless gave the trio the chance to find their feet in comedy.
Ruby eventually got a chat show after drunkenly interviewing Michael Grade (who was head of Channel 4 at the time) in a tent at the Edinburgh festival. She subsequently made a range of programmes, many revolving around her as an interviewer. Her popularity in terms of comedy came from her interviewing technique: she was always forthright, brash and loud, conforming to the British stereotype of an American. Her physical appearance matched this image, with red hair and blood-red lipstick.
In 2002 Ruby Wax wrote her memoir, How Do You Want Me?, which became a bestseller.
Her 2010 stand-up show Losing It deals with her experience of bipolar disorder. She founded Black Dog Tribe in 2011 in response to the audience reaction from her theatre show. In September 2013, she graduated from Kellogg College at Oxford University with a master's degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy. She had previously earned a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regents College in London.
These days she promotes understanding of the brain and campaigns for greater mental health awareness and destigmatisation.
- summarised from Dawn French Online, Wikipedia and her website
She met French and Saunders at a party and worked alongside them a number of times, on television in Happy Families, at charity events such as Hysteria and notably the sitcom Girls on Top. Ruby played Shelley Dupont, a stereotypically loud American dying for a career in show-business. Not a huge hit, Girls on Top nevertheless gave the trio the chance to find their feet in comedy.
Ruby eventually got a chat show after drunkenly interviewing Michael Grade (who was head of Channel 4 at the time) in a tent at the Edinburgh festival. She subsequently made a range of programmes, many revolving around her as an interviewer. Her popularity in terms of comedy came from her interviewing technique: she was always forthright, brash and loud, conforming to the British stereotype of an American. Her physical appearance matched this image, with red hair and blood-red lipstick.
In 2002 Ruby Wax wrote her memoir, How Do You Want Me?, which became a bestseller.
Her 2010 stand-up show Losing It deals with her experience of bipolar disorder. She founded Black Dog Tribe in 2011 in response to the audience reaction from her theatre show. In September 2013, she graduated from Kellogg College at Oxford University with a master's degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy. She had previously earned a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regents College in London.
These days she promotes understanding of the brain and campaigns for greater mental health awareness and destigmatisation.
- summarised from Dawn French Online, Wikipedia and her website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
March 19, 2018
There are books that work for you, and then there are books that just don’t cut it. It may be a best seller or a book by a renowned author, and yet, if you have to be honest, you would admit that a book didn’t work for you. The reasons could be multiple, trivial or very relevant, and yet- there are some things that you just need to accept and move on.
This book was one such disappointment for me. It hurts a little more, because I bought a paper book to read after ages, and found out that this wasn’t a keeper, and because I won’t be recommending this book, I’m not sure how to recycle it:) Any ideas would be welcome.
To be fair, I hadn’t heard of Ruby Wax or any of her previous works and just bought this book at the airport WH Smith shop because the cover page looked interesting and I imagined it to contain some other information, than what I found out.
So I’m going to write a very scientific minded review for this one, with my list of what I liked in the book, and what didn’t work for me. And then leave it to you to decide if you would want to read this book based on these facts:) Hope this was helpful!
What I liked:
She is a comedian, from what I gathered from the book, so it definitely is funny in some parts
I liked the concept of including a scientific and spiritual take on each subject that the author discusses
There are some good practical steps that one can follow, if you’re looking for guidance on how to practice mindfulness or meditate to relieve stress, anxiety and other negative feelings
What didn’t work for me:
I just wasn’t in the mood for a self help book..lol! When I bought the book, I imagined it to contain stories from the world of science or the world of monks about people and their humanity- I don’t know why I thought this, but I did, and nope, it isn’t about this
The last chapter about forgiveness talked about the author’s history/family background. I could not feel the forgiveness part, it felt like a chapter on history and I literally fast forwarded through that chapter
Although she touches upon some really interesting subjects, I found that she stated known facts rather than provide some new insights as to why we behave in certain ways or feel a particular way about various aspects of our lives. In some chapters, I found the scientific information more interesting than the spiritual one
And what was that blank chapter on Sex?! That seemed childish or like a practical joke by the author- I wasn’t amused- 2 blank pages in a book! Why have that chapter in the first place if you don’t intend to write anything about it?:)
I want to over ride the taste of this book by reading something nice now and I’m struggling to choose what to read next! What are you reading and have you read this book? Did you find it helpful or did you have similar views as mine after reading this book?
This book was one such disappointment for me. It hurts a little more, because I bought a paper book to read after ages, and found out that this wasn’t a keeper, and because I won’t be recommending this book, I’m not sure how to recycle it:) Any ideas would be welcome.
To be fair, I hadn’t heard of Ruby Wax or any of her previous works and just bought this book at the airport WH Smith shop because the cover page looked interesting and I imagined it to contain some other information, than what I found out.
So I’m going to write a very scientific minded review for this one, with my list of what I liked in the book, and what didn’t work for me. And then leave it to you to decide if you would want to read this book based on these facts:) Hope this was helpful!
What I liked:
She is a comedian, from what I gathered from the book, so it definitely is funny in some parts
I liked the concept of including a scientific and spiritual take on each subject that the author discusses
There are some good practical steps that one can follow, if you’re looking for guidance on how to practice mindfulness or meditate to relieve stress, anxiety and other negative feelings
What didn’t work for me:
I just wasn’t in the mood for a self help book..lol! When I bought the book, I imagined it to contain stories from the world of science or the world of monks about people and their humanity- I don’t know why I thought this, but I did, and nope, it isn’t about this
The last chapter about forgiveness talked about the author’s history/family background. I could not feel the forgiveness part, it felt like a chapter on history and I literally fast forwarded through that chapter
Although she touches upon some really interesting subjects, I found that she stated known facts rather than provide some new insights as to why we behave in certain ways or feel a particular way about various aspects of our lives. In some chapters, I found the scientific information more interesting than the spiritual one
And what was that blank chapter on Sex?! That seemed childish or like a practical joke by the author- I wasn’t amused- 2 blank pages in a book! Why have that chapter in the first place if you don’t intend to write anything about it?:)
I want to over ride the taste of this book by reading something nice now and I’m struggling to choose what to read next! What are you reading and have you read this book? Did you find it helpful or did you have similar views as mine after reading this book?
September 10, 2022
I couldn't bring myself to get even halfway through this book. For some reason the tone is excruciating to me, and I can't understand the appeal to anyone who isn't a child.
I don't understand the trend with writing in a tone of 'I know so little about this wow this is all so big and confusing' when writing to inform people. I found the 'conversation' parts actually infuriating - there are numerous quotes where the author actually interrupts the neuroscientist to make little quips about how ~confusing~ and ~scientific~ it all is and ~why are you using such big words?~. I don't find this endearing; it's just annoying..
For example; the neuroscientist is talking about a link between the auditory cortex and the experience of self-awareness. He's using extremely simple language, but the author actually interrupts him to say 'Don't get too fancy, I want people to read this book.' - so patronising! Why is there the assumption that the reader is going to be confused and put off by the use of scientific terms. Just how ignorant/unintelligent/uneducated is the reader supposed to be?
Some more fun examples of how patronising the tone is; 'I love it when you talk brain to me.' 'Emotions are just thoughts with bells on'. 'I don't know what you're talking about. Please, make it simple'.
I understand that this book may have use as an introduction to a child or an adult with absolutely no background knowledge of psychology, neuroscience, or mindfulness - someone who has never heard of those words and who is literally a blank slate. Otherwise, it's simplified to the point of saying nothing at all. I like to be challenged and read about things I'm unfamiliar with, and this book unpacks, simplifies, and coddles its way through already simple concepts, and I found it genuinely unbearable.
Clearly, I am not the target audience. I just want to put it out there that if you are well-read in psychology, this book will infuriate you. Do not pick it up even out of curiosity. Just don't do it.
I don't understand the trend with writing in a tone of 'I know so little about this wow this is all so big and confusing' when writing to inform people. I found the 'conversation' parts actually infuriating - there are numerous quotes where the author actually interrupts the neuroscientist to make little quips about how ~confusing~ and ~scientific~ it all is and ~why are you using such big words?~. I don't find this endearing; it's just annoying..
For example; the neuroscientist is talking about a link between the auditory cortex and the experience of self-awareness. He's using extremely simple language, but the author actually interrupts him to say 'Don't get too fancy, I want people to read this book.' - so patronising! Why is there the assumption that the reader is going to be confused and put off by the use of scientific terms. Just how ignorant/unintelligent/uneducated is the reader supposed to be?
Some more fun examples of how patronising the tone is; 'I love it when you talk brain to me.' 'Emotions are just thoughts with bells on'. 'I don't know what you're talking about. Please, make it simple'.
I understand that this book may have use as an introduction to a child or an adult with absolutely no background knowledge of psychology, neuroscience, or mindfulness - someone who has never heard of those words and who is literally a blank slate. Otherwise, it's simplified to the point of saying nothing at all. I like to be challenged and read about things I'm unfamiliar with, and this book unpacks, simplifies, and coddles its way through already simple concepts, and I found it genuinely unbearable.
Clearly, I am not the target audience. I just want to put it out there that if you are well-read in psychology, this book will infuriate you. Do not pick it up even out of curiosity. Just don't do it.
August 27, 2019
Chego ao final deste livro a sentir que fiz uma viagem. Por vezes trepidante, mas maioritariamente por paisagens muito interessantes.
Para começar, tenho de dizer uma coisa relativamente à escrita: a autora, apesar de formada em psicologia, é também actriz E comediante. Acreditem, é importante referir, porque o livro está pejado de humor! E, como qualquer comediante, o humor nem sempre é conveniente, o que leva a que em alguns momentos se riam imenso, mas noutros fiquem a pensar que talvez fosse desnecessário. No entanto, à medida que o livro avança, a quantidade de humor vai caindo. Assim que começam a conhecer um pouco a história da autora, compreendem de que forma (como na maioria dos comediantes, diga-se de passagem) o humor é uma forma de defesa. Acredito que este tipo de humor, num livro que é, supostamente, de não ficção e de auto-ajuda, por assim dizer, vá deixar muita gente desagradada (aliás, acho que basta ver as avaliações do livro por aqui...).
O livro é efectivamente uma espécie de manual de instruções, onde nos dão as respostas sem as darem realmente. As respostas estão dentro de nós e também ao nosso redor e muito da forma como as podemos encontrar passa por mindfulness. Confesso que relativamente ao mindfulness saltei algumas partes mais práticas, seja porque me apercebi que já implemento algumas delas no meu dia a dia (lido com ansiedade desde os 13 anos, muito do que faço para a controlar passa por estar mais consciente de mim e da minha respiração), seja porque eram relativas a coisas que não me dizem muito. E no entanto, mesmo neste capítulo mais dedicado ao mindfulness, houve imensas coisas que tive muito prazer em ler e descobrir!
Se forem pessoas que não se assustam com humor quando se fala de coisas sérias, então este livro pode muito bem ser para vocês. O meu único conselho é que leiam o livro de uma ponta à outra, sem grandes interrupções, porque uma vez mergulhando no género de humor da autora, é mais fácil continuarem a nadar do que passarem o tempo a sair da água gelada e voltarem a mergulhar nela. Todos sabemos que podemos ter um choque inicial na água fria, mas depois encontramos um equilíbrio térmico agradável.
Para começar, tenho de dizer uma coisa relativamente à escrita: a autora, apesar de formada em psicologia, é também actriz E comediante. Acreditem, é importante referir, porque o livro está pejado de humor! E, como qualquer comediante, o humor nem sempre é conveniente, o que leva a que em alguns momentos se riam imenso, mas noutros fiquem a pensar que talvez fosse desnecessário. No entanto, à medida que o livro avança, a quantidade de humor vai caindo. Assim que começam a conhecer um pouco a história da autora, compreendem de que forma (como na maioria dos comediantes, diga-se de passagem) o humor é uma forma de defesa. Acredito que este tipo de humor, num livro que é, supostamente, de não ficção e de auto-ajuda, por assim dizer, vá deixar muita gente desagradada (aliás, acho que basta ver as avaliações do livro por aqui...).
O livro é efectivamente uma espécie de manual de instruções, onde nos dão as respostas sem as darem realmente. As respostas estão dentro de nós e também ao nosso redor e muito da forma como as podemos encontrar passa por mindfulness. Confesso que relativamente ao mindfulness saltei algumas partes mais práticas, seja porque me apercebi que já implemento algumas delas no meu dia a dia (lido com ansiedade desde os 13 anos, muito do que faço para a controlar passa por estar mais consciente de mim e da minha respiração), seja porque eram relativas a coisas que não me dizem muito. E no entanto, mesmo neste capítulo mais dedicado ao mindfulness, houve imensas coisas que tive muito prazer em ler e descobrir!
Se forem pessoas que não se assustam com humor quando se fala de coisas sérias, então este livro pode muito bem ser para vocês. O meu único conselho é que leiam o livro de uma ponta à outra, sem grandes interrupções, porque uma vez mergulhando no género de humor da autora, é mais fácil continuarem a nadar do que passarem o tempo a sair da água gelada e voltarem a mergulhar nela. Todos sabemos que podemos ter um choque inicial na água fria, mas depois encontramos um equilíbrio térmico agradável.
July 11, 2020
An interesting read, Ruby Wax is on form with her witty style. The book, I'd call it a self-help guide, to mindfulness, and it's done with the help of a neurologist and a Buddhist.
What I found impressive is how she manages to cover a dry subject in an entertaining way. I liked her solo parts better than the dialogues with the two experts. My favourite chapters were the first one, covering human evolution at breakneck speed (that made me eager to read the rest of the book), and the chapter on robotics.
I also admired how Ruby Wax talked about her depression and expressed herself where her views on a variety of things frankly. Depression is kind of coming out from the grey-area of medical conditions as more resources for scientific research is dedicated to it, meanwhile there are many others that continue to remain neglected from this attention, I’m in one of these where for ages (because of lack of transparency) I was confused by how ideas are framed and why the pathway from diagnosis to treatment differ for medical conditions that are organic and ones that are not, creating a two-tier system. Hence, as much as I admire Ruby Wax for writing this book, I read it with caution (as I do with everything re this). My concern is the miracles of mindfulness is just used as band-aid to distract from addressing the health inequalities that will make a real difference to a person’s quality of life. However, I do appreciate this is a political quagmire (further complicated by patient groups that represent their non-organic medical condition) and for now having a one-size-fits-all is the easiest solution.
So, for this, I think it's a wonderful read, as I can imagine there are many people it would help, and for that I give it 4*. I sincerely hope that one day the conditions that are not regarded as organic will have an equal standing as those that are.
What I found impressive is how she manages to cover a dry subject in an entertaining way. I liked her solo parts better than the dialogues with the two experts. My favourite chapters were the first one, covering human evolution at breakneck speed (that made me eager to read the rest of the book), and the chapter on robotics.
I also admired how Ruby Wax talked about her depression and expressed herself where her views on a variety of things frankly. Depression is kind of coming out from the grey-area of medical conditions as more resources for scientific research is dedicated to it, meanwhile there are many others that continue to remain neglected from this attention, I’m in one of these where for ages (because of lack of transparency) I was confused by how ideas are framed and why the pathway from diagnosis to treatment differ for medical conditions that are organic and ones that are not, creating a two-tier system. Hence, as much as I admire Ruby Wax for writing this book, I read it with caution (as I do with everything re this). My concern is the miracles of mindfulness is just used as band-aid to distract from addressing the health inequalities that will make a real difference to a person’s quality of life. However, I do appreciate this is a political quagmire (further complicated by patient groups that represent their non-organic medical condition) and for now having a one-size-fits-all is the easiest solution.
So, for this, I think it's a wonderful read, as I can imagine there are many people it would help, and for that I give it 4*. I sincerely hope that one day the conditions that are not regarded as organic will have an equal standing as those that are.
August 23, 2018
Let's say 3.5 on this one. I liked bits of it. The first chapter about evolution is quite funny if but it seems sometimes a bit simplistic. And it's a theme throughout the book, sometimes it feels like the author is reducing everything to her own experience a little too much, especially in the chapter about relationships.
I liked how everything goes through the different points of view of the neuroscientist who tries to explain where in the brain stuff happens (turns out we still don't know much at all) and the monk giving his own view of it.
I liked the chapter about forgiveness and that's the one I want to explore more. I mean, it sounds corny and cheesy but really the idea that holding onto a grudge is hurting more you than the subject of said grudge does sound liberating and cathartic.
I'll be completely honest in saying that I did none of the exercises but if anything this book convinced me to persevere more with that headspace subscription.
I liked how everything goes through the different points of view of the neuroscientist who tries to explain where in the brain stuff happens (turns out we still don't know much at all) and the monk giving his own view of it.
I liked the chapter about forgiveness and that's the one I want to explore more. I mean, it sounds corny and cheesy but really the idea that holding onto a grudge is hurting more you than the subject of said grudge does sound liberating and cathartic.
I'll be completely honest in saying that I did none of the exercises but if anything this book convinced me to persevere more with that headspace subscription.
September 15, 2018
Bloedneus? Mindfulness! Afvoer verstopt? Mindfulness! Wie nog niets weet van mindfulness laat zich misschien overtuigen van de potentie door dit derde boek van Ruby Wax over mindfulness. In het boek beschrijft Wax alle belangrijke facetten in het leven, liefde, geluk, compassie et cetera met een neurochirurg en een monnik en de conclusie van elk hoofdstuk: mindfulness is het antwoord, de sleutel tot geluk! En het boek levert talloze oefeningen voor de beginnende mindfulness-student. Wax, afgestudeerd op mindfulness in Oxford, toont zich ter zake kundig, een ervaringsdeskundige met mentale problemen maar vooral een 'believer'. Daardoor is het veel 'tell' en weinig 'show', als zijn de gesprekken tussen Wax, de monnik en de neurochirurg aan het eind van elk hoofdstuk vaak interessant. Je moet dan wel door alle geforceerde flauwigheden van Wax heenlezen. Ik heb veel respect voor deze vrouw die een moeizame start kende met disfunctionele en beschadigde ouders en haar persoonlijke verhalen maken wel dat je weet met een ervaringsdeskundige te maken te hebben. Maar het voelt toch wat gemakzuchtig. Misschien had ze haar kruit al verschoten in de twee eerdere boeken. Bovendien kan het de belofte van de pretentieuze titel niet inlossen. Het is veel meer een advertorial voor mindfulness dan een handleiding. Mindfulness is een heel krachtig medicijn in een tijd waarin de consumptiemaatschappij meer kwaad dan goed doet, maar dit is niet het beste boek om je daarvan te overtuigen.
February 12, 2020
One of those books I'm happy I didn't pay full price for. Not sure why it was such a hit. Also not sure what was more cringe worthy, but I'll give it a try:
- the "I don't know anything" attitude - is it supposed to be funny? Wouldn't it be best to do some research before writing a book and not treating readers like complete idiots who can't handle basic scientific concepts?
- the many concepts and ideas without a shred of reference, not even a footnote -- quoting research findings without acknowledgment, not cool at all!
- the very tiring humour: it was vaguely amusing in the first couple of chapters but then became more like she was trying too hard. It was distracting from the only content of the book deserving of any attention, the contributions of the two experts
- the generalisations on domains the author seems to have no grasp of. I'm talking pearls of wisdom like "kids who learn better while walking should be encouraged to learn that way" - even just a cursory glance at educational research from the past 3 years will confirm learning styles have been conclusively debunked, so it really wouldn't have taken that much effort...
The concept could have been interesting, but all in all, the ideas were not well developed, the humor was tiring to say the least and the two experts should have been given much more space. I wouldn't recommend this book.
- the "I don't know anything" attitude - is it supposed to be funny? Wouldn't it be best to do some research before writing a book and not treating readers like complete idiots who can't handle basic scientific concepts?
- the many concepts and ideas without a shred of reference, not even a footnote -- quoting research findings without acknowledgment, not cool at all!
- the very tiring humour: it was vaguely amusing in the first couple of chapters but then became more like she was trying too hard. It was distracting from the only content of the book deserving of any attention, the contributions of the two experts
- the generalisations on domains the author seems to have no grasp of. I'm talking pearls of wisdom like "kids who learn better while walking should be encouraged to learn that way" - even just a cursory glance at educational research from the past 3 years will confirm learning styles have been conclusively debunked, so it really wouldn't have taken that much effort...
The concept could have been interesting, but all in all, the ideas were not well developed, the humor was tiring to say the least and the two experts should have been given much more space. I wouldn't recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2021
I did enjoy reading this book, it was entertaining and informative, but I was hoping it would explore the differences and similarities between the scientific and spiritual perspectives a little more. I feel like it didn’t take full advantage of having a monk and a neuroscientist as co-writers- they didn’t really feel like co-writers, they felt more like occasional visitors.
I guess I just wasn’t really in the mood for a self-help type of book, which is what this turned out to be, but I think Ruby Wax has a really good message in this book, and I especially enjoyed her chapter about forgiveness.
I guess I just wasn’t really in the mood for a self-help type of book, which is what this turned out to be, but I think Ruby Wax has a really good message in this book, and I especially enjoyed her chapter about forgiveness.
August 3, 2023
One of the most wonderfull ways to understand how non-messed up we truly are.
July 7, 2019
Actual rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
I recognised Ruby Wax after thinking she looked familiar in the picture she included in the book, I looked up her other books, briefly read her bio on goodreads and realised I new her from her comedy career.
I find it strange how there were sort of a jarring humour in a way in terms of some of the subjects that Ruby Wax was talking about. I think this was in terms of religion. it was sort of a dismissive, sarcastical regarded to, but I feel like in a way this could have been being offensive if taken in that way. I don't really have too much to say in terms of it but it did feel like it could be taken out of context and could come across as being looked down upon. I assume she was just regarding this in her own way, but because I'm not incredibly familiar with how she is (despite knowing her briefly through tv etc) it just stuck out a little sore for me.
I liked the different sections such as interview text and blocks like "My story". It helped to break up the heavier stuff, in conjunction with the mini sub headings, and added to the easy reading.
The chapter about sex threw me off guard.. I would have actually liked to have read further discussion on it, but it was amusing and had I have taken account of the page numbers before the next chapter, in the contents page, I may have been prepared a bit more for what it gave me.
I sort of skimmed the chapter on kids because it's not relevant to me at this stage of life I'm in. This is kind of where I hit a mental block and it was very slow progress until I was out of these types of chapters.
This is filled with some awesome points of discussion though and the fact that we had a neuroscientist and monk in conversation with Ruby was a great asset to the book.
Overall, wasn't expecting a lot of what we got actually, but some really interesting thoughts and conversations in this!
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I recognised Ruby Wax after thinking she looked familiar in the picture she included in the book, I looked up her other books, briefly read her bio on goodreads and realised I new her from her comedy career.
I find it strange how there were sort of a jarring humour in a way in terms of some of the subjects that Ruby Wax was talking about. I think this was in terms of religion. it was sort of a dismissive, sarcastical regarded to, but I feel like in a way this could have been being offensive if taken in that way. I don't really have too much to say in terms of it but it did feel like it could be taken out of context and could come across as being looked down upon. I assume she was just regarding this in her own way, but because I'm not incredibly familiar with how she is (despite knowing her briefly through tv etc) it just stuck out a little sore for me.
I liked the different sections such as interview text and blocks like "My story". It helped to break up the heavier stuff, in conjunction with the mini sub headings, and added to the easy reading.
The chapter about sex threw me off guard.. I would have actually liked to have read further discussion on it, but it was amusing and had I have taken account of the page numbers before the next chapter, in the contents page, I may have been prepared a bit more for what it gave me.
I sort of skimmed the chapter on kids because it's not relevant to me at this stage of life I'm in. This is kind of where I hit a mental block and it was very slow progress until I was out of these types of chapters.
This is filled with some awesome points of discussion though and the fact that we had a neuroscientist and monk in conversation with Ruby was a great asset to the book.
Overall, wasn't expecting a lot of what we got actually, but some really interesting thoughts and conversations in this!
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
August 4, 2020
I loved this! I'm not one for science-y, self help books but I found this easy to read and really engaging. It was funny and rhe dynamic between the monk, Ruby & the neuroscientist was fun to read, and really demonstrated how science and mindfulness can work together to help. Ruby's sense of humour came through amd really made it easy to understand. Am now looking for her 1st book 'Frazzled' to try 🙂
February 16, 2021
I am a fan of Ruby Wax. I like her personality and I do think that she has been through a lot . She has showed her vulnerability and that is basically the reason she has a strong fanbase. However, this is not enough for me to justify a good review on her book. There is a lot of interesting information about the mind and how it works but most of it is rather basic; although the approach with the monk and the scientist was clever, it did not provide me with a lot of insights rather than : mindfulness is the solution to your problems. Mind you, am meditating on a daily basis and it’s something am grateful to have in my life .
November 14, 2018
Like a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in a book. There is real knowledge in this book about how the mind works and how we feel things and how we can change our feelings. It’s easy to read and provides methods for meditation in your daily life. The conversations between ruby wax, the neuroscientist and the monk were fascinating though would work better on an audio book or podcast. Overall would recommend to any who wants to learn more about their mind and their ability to train it.
January 9, 2019
How to Be Human is the first book by Ruby Wax that I have read, and I'll start by saying I will definitely be reading more!
How to Be Human is a succinct, 'psychology 101' type book for any individual wanting to understand a bit about how the human mind and social interactions work. I know I just made the book sound dry - except it is anything but!
Wax skilfully integrates scientific findings, anecdotes, jokes and stories (both autobiographical and other) to make this book a light, interesting and enjoyable read. Collaborating with a neuroscientist and a monk, each chapter ends with a conversation between the three where the reader is exposed to their varying views and queries.
The book is predominantly centred around the practice of mindfulness. I loved that the suggested mindfulness exercises are mostly found in one chapter towards the end of the book after reading the majority of the book. It avoids that feeling of having to commit to trying an exercise each chapter or anything of the sort, which, if you're lazy like me, will totally just have you putting that book down!
The only thing I would suggest is when reading How to Be Human, keep you're thinking cap on, and question whether certain ideas really apply to you. I didn't give How to Be Human five stars because I agree with 100% everything written in the book. Rather, I gave it five stars because it is engaging and insightful.
How to Be Human is a succinct, 'psychology 101' type book for any individual wanting to understand a bit about how the human mind and social interactions work. I know I just made the book sound dry - except it is anything but!
Wax skilfully integrates scientific findings, anecdotes, jokes and stories (both autobiographical and other) to make this book a light, interesting and enjoyable read. Collaborating with a neuroscientist and a monk, each chapter ends with a conversation between the three where the reader is exposed to their varying views and queries.
The book is predominantly centred around the practice of mindfulness. I loved that the suggested mindfulness exercises are mostly found in one chapter towards the end of the book after reading the majority of the book. It avoids that feeling of having to commit to trying an exercise each chapter or anything of the sort, which, if you're lazy like me, will totally just have you putting that book down!
The only thing I would suggest is when reading How to Be Human, keep you're thinking cap on, and question whether certain ideas really apply to you. I didn't give How to Be Human five stars because I agree with 100% everything written in the book. Rather, I gave it five stars because it is engaging and insightful.
June 1, 2024
I usually don't really rate self-help books very high because I think they are very self explanatory and full of things I've already thought of or stuff that can't actually really be applied to real life. This one was actually quite good though, a manual on How to be Human - much needed for me I reckon. With conversations between a monk and neuroscientist, it was a perfect blend of spirituality and science, which is what I'm all about. There are a few things I've learned that I think I would actually try apply to my everyday life. It was quite funny too.
July 26, 2018
Highly practical and deeply insightful. The book taught me so much about mindfulness and compassion. The main message I’ve taken from it is that we should always be kind to ourselves, especially when negativity takes over our thoughts.
The audiobook, narrated by Wax, the Buddhist monk, Gelong Thubten, and neuroscientist, Ash Ranpura, is really special. I particularly loved listening to Thubten taking us through the mindfulness exercises.
The audiobook, narrated by Wax, the Buddhist monk, Gelong Thubten, and neuroscientist, Ash Ranpura, is really special. I particularly loved listening to Thubten taking us through the mindfulness exercises.
December 20, 2018
A non-fiction look at how we live our lives and become who we are – and what to do about it!
Not having read anything by Ruby Wax previously I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I got in How To Be Human was an honest, open and insightful look at the way we behave, how we are programmed and, more importantly, how we can take back control. Ruby Wax writes with such integrity, warmth and humour it is impossible not to be drawn in, and affected by, her book.
I found myself completely captivated by How To Be Human. I laughed aloud at some of the ways Ruby Wax exemplified her points with anecdotes from her own life and I adored her candid and charismatic approach. She isn’t afraid to voice her own frailties and concerns so that the effect is to make the reader more convinced by her arguments.
The balance between the Ruby Wax’s prosaic examples and the more scientific aspects from Ash Ranpura and the spiritual ones from Gelong Thrubten works so well, particularly through the transcripts of conversations between them. All three open themselves up in a manner that allows the reader to feel they are simply eavesdropping a conversation and technical aspects are made clear and accessible. I confess to being glad I wasn’t Ash Ranpura’s child and I developed a great deal of sympathy for his wife, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why.
I really appreciated the manner in which the examples and theories in the other chapters are given practical approaches in Chapter 11 so that there is something there from which any reader might benefit. For me it was being mindful with every day activities such as cleaning my teeth. I usually physically wander when I’m doing this, checking emails, looking out of the window and so on. Having read How To Be Human I’m learning to give an activity my full attention and then move on and I definitely feel more in control of my life as a result.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the section where Ruby Wax describes the making of her episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Having watched the programme, I could see how the book’s messages of forgiveness and compassion could be applied practically. I’m not saying How To Be Human has completely revolutionised my life, but it has helped me think about others differently and to have more compassion in my day to day life. I’ve learnt to be easier on myself and I think that’s probably a very good place to start.
How To Be Human is a book that practises what it preaches so that I finished it feeling enlightened and empowered. It is intelligent, witty, accessible and helpful. What more could you ask?
Not having read anything by Ruby Wax previously I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I got in How To Be Human was an honest, open and insightful look at the way we behave, how we are programmed and, more importantly, how we can take back control. Ruby Wax writes with such integrity, warmth and humour it is impossible not to be drawn in, and affected by, her book.
I found myself completely captivated by How To Be Human. I laughed aloud at some of the ways Ruby Wax exemplified her points with anecdotes from her own life and I adored her candid and charismatic approach. She isn’t afraid to voice her own frailties and concerns so that the effect is to make the reader more convinced by her arguments.
The balance between the Ruby Wax’s prosaic examples and the more scientific aspects from Ash Ranpura and the spiritual ones from Gelong Thrubten works so well, particularly through the transcripts of conversations between them. All three open themselves up in a manner that allows the reader to feel they are simply eavesdropping a conversation and technical aspects are made clear and accessible. I confess to being glad I wasn’t Ash Ranpura’s child and I developed a great deal of sympathy for his wife, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why.
I really appreciated the manner in which the examples and theories in the other chapters are given practical approaches in Chapter 11 so that there is something there from which any reader might benefit. For me it was being mindful with every day activities such as cleaning my teeth. I usually physically wander when I’m doing this, checking emails, looking out of the window and so on. Having read How To Be Human I’m learning to give an activity my full attention and then move on and I definitely feel more in control of my life as a result.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the section where Ruby Wax describes the making of her episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Having watched the programme, I could see how the book’s messages of forgiveness and compassion could be applied practically. I’m not saying How To Be Human has completely revolutionised my life, but it has helped me think about others differently and to have more compassion in my day to day life. I’ve learnt to be easier on myself and I think that’s probably a very good place to start.
How To Be Human is a book that practises what it preaches so that I finished it feeling enlightened and empowered. It is intelligent, witty, accessible and helpful. What more could you ask?
January 6, 2019
Ruby Wax, a monk and neuroscientist walk into a bar.
Not really, but they do sit around and discuss life, mindfulness and the science behind it. The result is an enjoyable and informative exploration of evolution, brain development and how mindfulness is even more important in coping with modern life than ever. It is well researched, funny and insightful and makes a good beginners guide to the whys and hows of mindfulness.
Not really, but they do sit around and discuss life, mindfulness and the science behind it. The result is an enjoyable and informative exploration of evolution, brain development and how mindfulness is even more important in coping with modern life than ever. It is well researched, funny and insightful and makes a good beginners guide to the whys and hows of mindfulness.
April 28, 2022
A good book to get a normal explanation on many topics surrounding mental health and the subject matters directly related to it, some authors can use too much scientific jargon but this book has a mix of scientific fact and everyday literacy which makes it easy to read. The reason it has not recieved a higher rating is due to the slight lack of flow with the experts which have dedicated time towards the book but overall a worthwhile read.
November 18, 2018
This was an amazingly helpful book. It gave lots of good advice, especially on mindfulness and compassion. Lots of useful exercises as well. Really enjoyed some of the sidelights that it gave me. “The brain is Velcro for negative thoughts and Teflon for positive ones”. Thoroughly recommend this book to everyone.
June 22, 2019
I won this book in a giveaway, so thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy. I found this to be a really interesting read. It was nice to have 3 viewpoints too. I can’t say as I’ve read many books of this type, but alas, I found it to be a fairly decent read!
‘You are the interior decorator of your life’...
‘You are the interior decorator of your life’...
March 1, 2018
I only seem to like self help books written by Ruby Wax. I very much liked the combination of the monk and the neuroscientist and there are some very useful mindfulness exercises at the end. I have put it on a shelf in the bathroom in case visitors would like to read it.
July 8, 2019
this was a pretty quick read. i like to learn about brains and why some of them are so hardwired for failure - and this ticked those boxes. i really liked the conversation parts, and i'd probably have read a whole book just of that, to be honest.
January 12, 2020
I think this would be great as auto book, alot of conversations and moments within the chapters that bounce back and forth. It felt like I was reading a script at times.
I can see being made I to a TV series.
Loved the last chapter on forgiveness.
I can see being made I to a TV series.
Loved the last chapter on forgiveness.
March 19, 2020
I enjoyed this book :) I love how honest Ruby Wax is about her own mental health needs and her struggles. I’ve ready books by her before and this certainly didn’t disappoint. I found myself having a giggle at parts and nodding at others. Well done Ruby. Keep talking about mental health :)
September 5, 2023
A 50-page manual on mindfulness dragged out with the author's extensive opinions on the practise and how it should be applied.
December 28, 2023
Simply didn’t work for me :) slightly too basic for my liking!
October 22, 2018
Fabulous guide to mindful living.
December 20, 2021
Ruby Wax is somebody I've admired for her work in raising awareness of mental health, and so I was intrigued to read this book about the human condition.
The author delivers a series of chapters (on topics such as thoughts, emotions, relationships, kids, and more) with her usual sharp and self depreciating wit, but some very smart insights into what makes us behave the way we do as human beings.
Each chapter is closed by a transcript of a discussion between Ruby, a Monk and a Scientist. Each five insights into why they think people behave the way they do. It makes for fascinating reading.
I found the final chapter on Forgiveness to be really powerful, and something that has prompted me to look further into compassion.
I found this book an excellent read. The book puts Science, Philosophy and Humour into a package that makes for a thought provoking yet fun journey.
The author delivers a series of chapters (on topics such as thoughts, emotions, relationships, kids, and more) with her usual sharp and self depreciating wit, but some very smart insights into what makes us behave the way we do as human beings.
Each chapter is closed by a transcript of a discussion between Ruby, a Monk and a Scientist. Each five insights into why they think people behave the way they do. It makes for fascinating reading.
I found the final chapter on Forgiveness to be really powerful, and something that has prompted me to look further into compassion.
I found this book an excellent read. The book puts Science, Philosophy and Humour into a package that makes for a thought provoking yet fun journey.
June 21, 2024
This book made me think a lot about myself. It took me a bit to get into as it's a different style of book than I'm used to but then I enjoyed it and found it helpful and I think I will use some of the things I have learnt from it.
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